9 Lives
by Lachesis
Summary: Stand alone chapters exploring the characters of Kisuke Urahara and Yoruichi Shihouin.
1. Life 6:  Our Promise

"How long have you been sitting here?" Both Yoruichi's purr and spiritual pressure arrived behind Kisuke at the same time. He was relaxed, sitting on a hill, watching a town move lazily below.

His clothing didn't match what he had left Soul Society with. These clothes hung off his frame, obviously too large for him. Everything was dusty with neglect. The folds were worn, from sitting unattended for so long. The only thing clean was his hat, and it covered his eyes so completely that Yoruichi wasn't able to see his expression.

"Oh, just awhile," Kisuke's voice finally bubbled out from under his hat. He pushed it up, and Yoruichi finally saw what he was trying to hide. The dark stubble on his chin only accentuated the even darker circles under his eyes. "No bother at all, Lady Yoruichi," he intoned her name and title after a quick sweep of his eyes took in her Shinigami form. His smile was as bright as his voice, but it never reached his eyes.

Yoruichi signed heavily and examined the town below her. She sat down gracefully, just an arms reach away from Kisuke. "Streets of stone," she announced, starting a methodical list. "An obvious market place. No pesky lord's manor, yet a day or two travel to the capital." She felt Kisuke's eyes on her. He was almost holding his breath, waiting for her approval. "And, very weak borders between the worlds here."

Kisuke finally looked away, chuckling so softly she wasn't sure that it was there at all. "Oh, Lady Yoruichi, you don't give this place enough credit."

"Wait, Kisuke," Yoruichi finally stopped him, interrupting him. "Why so formal?"

Kisuke pulled his knees up to his chest and pushed his hat back. For the first time since he had entered the Academy, she recognized her Kisuke from childhood. For the first time in a long time, he almost looked relaxed and his eyes were amused. It lasted a mere second before all emotion was gone and he was Captain Urahara again.

"You didn't have to come, Lady Yoruichi." His voice was pure seriousness, gone was any mirth at his situation or even true humor from his youth. "I waited here for you because I was keeping our promise. I didn't expect you to come." His steel eyes met her own surprised amber eyes. His own expression held only determination.

Almost unthinking, Yoruichi reached out and touched his cheek. The insubstantiality of her form prevented her from feeling his skin, but his eyes flashed surprise for a second. His muscles tensed as he chose not to lean into her touch.

"I came for you, Kisuke," her voice was soft and serious, a match to his own. "After you left, I had to tie up some loose ends. I had to appoint a new family head. I had to liquidate my own assets, and what I couldn't liquidate, I had to find a way to leave behind." Her eyes hadn't left his. She was trying to convey the gravity of this to him through look and touch alone. "I had to wait for a portal to open, so I could slip through. And with so little time, I had to leave without a gigai." At this, Kisuke's eyes widened, and he cupped her hand with his own. "But I am here, with you, keeping our promise."

"Oh, Yoruichi." Kisuke leaned into her hand, finally, appreciating her touch and her presence as more than a fulfilled promise. He set the lightest kiss at the shimmering air of her forehead.

Their eyes locked for a moment longer as Kisuke poured all the emotion he'd been holding back into caressing Yoruichi's concern. Finally, it was too much and she turned back to town, removing her hand from his cheek.

Kisuke settled more comfortably on the grass, content with enjoying their silence.

"Have you made plans?" she asked him, finally breaking the silence that suddenly seemed too heavy.

"It will be as we discussed." Kisuke's confident captain voice was back, in sharp contrast to his insecurities of earlier. Just that reassurance was all he needed. "I've been watching this town, and there is a storefront that no one has gone in to or out of." He paused, tilting his head in thought, causing his hat to slip back over his eyes. "I have a mind to check it out before robbing traveling merchants. If the owner has abandoned it, I can pretend I'm family easy enough."

Yoruichi searched the short wooden buildings, looking for the one with an unopened storefront. Before she could find it, Kisuke pointed it out. "That one, there. It's washed in green and has the marks of a confectionary."

Yoruichi's eyes were finally drawn to it. The wash was starting to fade in places and the joints to the storefront looked old.

"I know it's a fixer-upper," Kisuke was saying, his voice again light and airy. "But I think it should be in a good location." Her eyes traced the main roads in and out of town near the store as he continued. "Before I even open the store again, though, I intend on making a lab."

"How will you eat?" Yoruichi gave him a sharp look, turning away from the store.

"I don't care," he said with a stubborn set to his eyes. "The first order of business is making you a gigai, so you can really be here."

They both knew the unspoken end to that sentence. _"With me."_


	2. Life 1: Innocent as Children

Life 1: Innocent as Children

The young boy seemed oblivious to the sudden alarm he caused as he walked into the garden. The guards raced over to stop him, to eject him from the grounds. But before they could reach him, Yoruichi noticed her visitor.

"Hey!" She yelled, jumping up from the sandbox and running over. Her dark blue yukata and violet hair only added to the effect of her being a shadow, as she stepped out of the tree's shade. She reached the boy before the guards, and he seemed completely unimpressed.

"Hey," she said again, softer, pushing her bare feet in the dirt after seeing the boy was her age, maybe.

"Hey yourself," the young boy said softly, throwing in a wink when she glanced up at him. His blonde hair was unkempt and shoulder length. His eyes were as blue as the sky. Yoruichi giggled.

"I'm Yoruichi," she said in a brisk introduction. "This is my garden." A pause, a head tilt, her eyes found his again – amber meeting steel. "Come play with me."

His eyes grabbed his smile, pulling the corners higher. "I'm Kisuke." He held out his hand to her. She looked at it a moment before she took it. He pumped them up and down once, but before he could let her go, she was pulling him into the yard.

"I'm building castles," her voice was soft but excited. "They grow towards the sky." Her other hand motioned upwards towards her designs. Yoruichi had always enjoyed her creativity.

At the sandbox, she paused for a moment, observing Kisuke. His spiritual pressure was high, like those in her family. But that's where the similarities stopped. Every part of him was light and airy. Even his voice. Even his hair.

"What? Do I have snot?" Kisuke started rubbing his nose. Failing to find anything, he pulled his hair over his eyes.

"Hmph," a wordless sound escaped from Yoruichi's lips, and she turned to the castle. "Grandma said that she'd bring something shiny to finish the tower." Yoruichi carefully pointed past the battlements and the stone paths made of sand to the tower that rose half her height.

"Shiny things are a good finish," Kisuke nodded wisely and then sat down at the edge of the sand box. He started molding the sand closest to him.

"What is that?" Yoruichi asked, curious. She sat down next to him.

"It's a dragon," Kisuke said, proudly, forming mounds of sand into something that might have passed for a dragon. "All castles need invading dragons."

"Hey, Lad," came a voice from behind them. Yoruichi bounced up from beside him and raced back to grab the hand of the woman who owned the voice. "How'd you get in here?"

"Grandma!" Yoruichi exclaimed. She glanced towards Kisuke and back to her Grandma again, concerned as to what she needed to say next.

"Its no bother," Kisuke said, his hand pushing his blonde hair away from his eyes. "I walked in from that way," he motioned behind him towards the maples framing the estate, and then beyond to the deeper pine forest.

The old woman locked eyes with Kisuke and his body stiffened, as though he was unable to move. Yoruichi sat down on the ground, her face pained. But the woman who called herself Grandmother seemed oblivious.

"And before the forest?"

Yoruichi wasn't sure how Kisuke managed to stay standing, let alone find his voice. But it came out just a fraction weaker than it was before, only slightly hesitant in the face of the spiritual pressure in front of him. "Always the forest."

Grandmother's eyes widened slightly. "How long?"

"Several moons at least," Kisuke looked sad. "Time is lost here." His soft voice made him seem older, and Yoruichi wondered if he was older than she by a lot.

"And before here?"

Downcast eyes were his first response. "Cold and wet." If not for the magnification of everything by her Grandmother's spiritual pressure, Yoruichi doubted she would have heard his response.

Grandmother laughed suddenly, and the air became bearable. Yoruichi stayed sitting, waiting for everything to be over. But once Kisuke could move, his defiant eyes and stance made her think of the invading dragon he built for her castle.

"We cannot offer you a family or a house." Grandmother's voice was suddenly strong and her back straight. Her formal declaration echoed across the lawn. "You were not born here, so we cannot embrace you in that fashion." Her gaze brushed Yoruichi's confused gaze before turning back to Kisuke's. "We can offer you food. Your spiritual pressure is high enough that you are likely always hungry. We can let you spend as much time with Yoruichi as you'd like." Yoruichi felt a bubble of happiness at this, but did not interrupt. "If you choose to become a shinigami or apply for redeployment to earth, we can provide you with a recommendation for either." Kisuke's eyes were confused, but still he did not speak. "We welcome as a friend to the Shihoin family, Kisuke Urahara."

Her formal bow prompted him to mimic it, and Yoruichi giggled at the attempt. He glared at Yoruichi for her laughter but before he could say anything, Yoruichi tackled him to the ground, her Grandmother forgotten.

"What was that for?" Kisuke asked after catching his breath.

Yoruichi's smile lit up the whole yard. "I've finally found a friend. I've been the only child for years." She leaned forward and kissed his cheek. Then, with a giggle, she jumped up and ran away. "You're it! You're it!" She hoped he would follow.


	3. Life 5: Loose Ends

Life 5: Loose Ends

The noise of the Rukongai filled his ears. The smells of the streets touched the back of his brain, reminding him of smells for a lifetime or two ago, before he had a name to call his own or a life that he was proud of. Well, up until recently anyway.

"How about that one?" Yoruichi was pointing at a small boy. His dark hair covered his green eyes, and a layer of spiritual pressure protected him from the rest of the Inuzuri district.

Kisuke fixed him with a searching stare. The boy glared back defiantly. "Not that one," he said, and kept walking. The boys eyes bore into his back.

"We've been at this for days," Yoruichi said, still scanning the crowds. "How long until you give up?"

Kisuke looked at the crowds, still searching. He wondered how much longer before Yoruichi gave up. He couldn't have her see what he had to do. Plausible deniability plus if she knew what he had to do, she might not want to be around him. Of all the loses from this event, that was the one he couldn't bare.

The answer wasn't to her question. "Do you think they've taken the sake from my rooms?" His voice came out flat and bitter, though he had intended it to be cheeky and light.

Yoruichi grabbed his hand and pulled him into an alley. "You don't know they'll kick you out," her amber eyes met his steel eyes. He felt guilty knowing that he was lying to her about so much. "General Yamamoto didn't say he was going to kill you, or make you leave. It was just going to be an informal examination of how the 12th Division has done working on research instead of history." Her hand squeezed his, and her eyes searched his. "Why are you so worried?" It was a whine. From Yoruichi who was always suede soft.

Guilt flashed across his face, an expression he was unable to school. Yoruichi would think it was for his actions then, and not for the weight in his bag. Carefully, Kisuke schooled himself to calm.

"When they kick me out, Yoruichi, I probably won't see you again." He forced his voice light and put his best Kyoraku-quality leer on his face. "I will never have the ephemeral joy of running my hands across your bare hips or my lips across your throat." There it was, fire and not pity. "All my plans will be lost, because as soon as I leave, Soifon will have you for herself. She'll tie you to your bed you know." He winked once, watching Yoruichi's cheeks redden slightly at the suggestion. "I think she's saving restraints just for you. What a shame I'll miss it." His tongue licked his lips, and he pushed his hat back enough that his eyes could definitely meet hers. Suggestion was every signal he put out. Annoyance was her counterpoint. "I'm sure if we were both there -."

"Alright!" Yoruichi had enough. Her expression went from frustrated to carefully blank. "I can see that you won't find whatever you're looking for with me here." She flash stepped then was gone.

Kisuke heard a soft cry from behind him. He turned as he felt something tug at the bottom of the long robe that covered his captain's outfit. Turning, he found a child who looked barely old enough to walk filled with spiritual pressure.

"Hello, little one," Kisuke scooped her up into his arms, his robes crushing her cheek. "I have something for you."

He dug into his bag and pulled out a soul splitting glove that he was quite sure they didn't know he had. After the glove was on, he pulled out Hougyoku. "This may hurt for a bit, baby, then it will be over".

Steel eyes locked with violet. Though just for a moment they shifted amber. Kisuke looked away, and began the procedure.


End file.
